A spare tire is known from publication EP 0 794 108 A1. The known spare tire holder features an adapter for immobilizing a safety wheel in a receptacle for normal tires. To this end, the receptacle features a carrier that is mounted on the base plate of the vehicle such that it can be pivoted about a pivot joint.
Schematic drawings of such a known spare tire holder are illustrated in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9. More specifically, FIG. 7 shows a schematic drawing of a known spare tire holder in a locked position, FIG. 8 shows a schematic drawing of a known spare tire holder according to FIG. 7 in a pivoted position, and FIG. 9 shows a schematic drawing of the arrangement of the spare tire and the pivot joint of the spare tire holder according to the prior art.
FIG. 7 shows a schematic drawing of a known spare tire holder 2 in a locked position 9. In this locked position 9, the spare tire 19 is situated in a receptacle 41 that is held in its locked position 9 with the aid of an actuating mechanism 8. This receptacle 41 is fixed on a base plate 42 of the vehicle 3 by means of a pivot joint 7. The actuating mechanism 8 makes it possible to disengage the lock from the vehicle interior such that the receptacle 41 can be pivoted downward into a pivoted position 10 from the locked position 9 shown. During this process, the spare tire is displaced in the driving direction together with the receptacle 41 such that the removal of the spare tire is aggravated. The arrangement of the pivot joint 7 of the receptacle 41 furthermore defines the dimension for a minimum vehicle overhang 12 because the locking device 8 and the pivot joint 7 have a corresponding space requirement.
FIG. 8 shows a schematic drawing of the known spare tire holder 2 according to FIG. 7 in a pivoted position 10. Due to the relatively simple pivot joint 7 that pivots about the pivoting axis 43, the receptacle 41 can only be tilted in the direction of the ground 22 such that it is relatively difficult to remove the spare tire 19 from the tail region 5 in the pivoted position 10 underneath the vehicle 3. The problems associated with the removal of the spare tire from the receptacle 41 are illustrated in FIG. 9.
FIG. 9 shows a schematic drawing of the arrangement of the spare tire 19 and the pivot joint 7 of the spare tire holder 2 according to the prior art. The pivot joint 7 can also be divided into two adjacently arranged pivot joints 7′ and 7″ in order to realize a stable three-point suspension with the aid of the actuating mechanism 8 and the pivot joints 7′ and 7″. It is furthermore possible to arrange the actuating mechanism laterally in the position 8′ so as to provide sufficient space for lowering the receptacle 41 into the pivoted position 10 from the locked position 9 shown in FIG. 7. During this pivoting process, however, the spare tire 19 is not displaced in the direction of the tail region 5, but rather in the direction indicated by the arrow C (i.e., in the driving direction), such that the spare tire 19 is disadvantageously moved deeper underneath the car body 6 due to this pivoting process.
In view of the foregoing, at least one objective exists to develop a spare tire holder that requires less space and also simplifies the removal of the spare tire from the spare tire holder. Another objective is to disclose such an installation method that the installation of a spare tire holder can be integrated into the current production sequence of a production line with only a few manipulations. In addition, other objectives, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.